China News Service, March 19. According to Kyodo News, residents of 9 prefectures including Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan requested the company to suspend operations on the grounds that the Tokai No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant (Tokai Village, Ibaraki Prefecture) did not ensure safety. File a lawsuit.
On the 18th local time, the Mito District Court issued a ruling that the Donghai No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant was not allowed to operate.
Whether Yuandian’s assumptions about the scale of the earthquake and the height of the tsunami are appropriate, and whether the building is earthquake-resistant, are the main points of contention in the lawsuit.
Residents argued that "The original plan is too optimistic, and a large-scale earthquake may lead to an accident similar to Fukushima."
Yuandian retorted that there is no problem with the idea and the earthquake resistance of the building is also ensured.
According to reports, the Second East China Sea Nuclear Power Plant was put into operation in 1978.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, it was in a state of suspension, and in November 2018, it has a 40-year period of operation.
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Commission approved the extension of operation for 20 years on the grounds that there is no problem even if it considers ageing and the equipment can be maintained.
Based on the new safety standards established after the Fukushima nuclear accident, Haraden has advanced safety measures such as the construction of tidal dikes.
The report pointed out that Yuandian previously explored to finish the safety improvement countermeasure project around December 2022, and realize the restart as soon as possible.
Although the judgment will not take effect until it is confirmed, the local sentiment is bound to deteriorate and it will be more difficult to restart.
The judgment may also affect the government's energy policy and the review of other nuclear power plants that are striving to restart.
According to the report, this is the second case in which the Fukui District Court ordered the shutdown of operations after the Fukushima nuclear accident, following the decision by the Fukui District Court that did not allow the Kansai Electric Power Company’s Ohan Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 to restart.